The Senate Committee on Public Accounts has been quoted as saying that allegations of financial impropriety leveled against the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) by the Office of the Auditor General of the Federation (OAuGF) is uncalled for and lacks substantiated evidence.
The Committee, chaired by Senator Mathew Urhohide, reportedly cleared the Bureau of the allegations when the BPE Director General, Mr. Alex Okoh, appeared before the Committee during the week.
The committee said the OAuGF did not reconcile its records before going public to accuse BPE of financial misdemeanor.
On the Ports Concession payments, the Director General informed the Committee that the Bureau was only a party to the concession as all revenues generated from the exercise were paid directly to the Landlord-Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).
He said that the Bureau was never part of revenue collection during and after the concession, adding that the OAuGF arrived at the figures by merely looking at the contract documents and assuming the revenues were paid to the Bureau.
Okoh lamented that the allegations against the Bureau had put a smudge on the reputation and integrity of the Bureau and demanded a retraction and apology from the OAuGF.
After listening to the presentation by the DG, BPE and the inadequate response from the OAuGF, the Committee exonerated the Bureau from all the allegations.
The Committee, therefore, advised the OAuGF to always meet with relevant agencies for Post Audit Reconciliation before going public. It berated the OAuGF for not diligently carrying out its duties.
It would be recalled that the OAuGF had accused the Bureau of some financial infractions, especially the non-remittance of revenue on ports concessions in the sum of USD$679,403,172.00.
